Awesome Music: Just about the entire soundtrack, which was composed by Akira Miyagawa, the son of Hiroshi Miyagawa, who did the soundtrack for the original series.
First explicit mention goes naturally to the opening. Having Isao Sasaki sing it is just icing on the cake of awesome. The second ending is also awesome in a nostalgic way, the perfect song for a space romance.
Also, "The Galactic Pilot". This is the song the crew of the Yukikaze sings as they go for their final battle, and its Background Music version plays as the fleet leave's for Plan M.
The Gamilas Empire's anthem is a stirring military-sounding march that sounds awesome whether it's the crews of the Yamato and a number of Gamilans singing it together, or the Gamilans bombing a planet to atoms.
Contested Sequel: Yamato 2199 is generally considered a modern classic and an excellent update. Yamato 2202 is an entirely different beast for numerous reasons, but principally depicting Deslar as having been an unrepentant Well-Intentioned Extremist all along in spite of his Adaptational Villainy in 2199 and the long laundry lists of atrocities he'd committed, rather than having him undergo a proper Heel Realization like he did in the original series and subsequent redemption arc. Also contentious is how most of the new cast created for 2199 are Put on a Bus, instead focusing solely on the classic characters.
Fan Nickname: Akira "Rei" Yamamoto is named "Starbuck", in reference to another fighter pilot who got a Gender Flip in a reimagined series.
Hilarious in Hindsight: Voice-acting wise, Dessler's VA voiced Donkey in the Japanese dub of Shrek and in the first film of the series, one of both Shrek and Donkey's first villains they faced was Lord Farqaad, who was voiced in Japanese by Masato Ibu, who voiced the original Dessler.
To hammer it in even further, Yamadera played Kodai in the 2009 film Space Battleship Yamato: Resurrection. Ibu also had a role in there as Captain Gorui.
In a similar way, Daisuke Ono (Susumu Kodai) voiced Dwayne Hoover in the Japanese dub of Little Miss Sunshine, whose biggest dream is becoming an Air Force pilot and failing to do so. Kodai, on the other hand, not only is a member of the army, he also flies too as well.
Moral Event Horizon: The beginning of episode 15 shows the Gamilan Imperial Guard dealing with a rebellion on one of the Empire's worlds by destroying every population center on the planet's surface, with multiple shots of the terrified inhabitants holding their loved ones close just before they're obliterated. And to top it off, the guy in charge of it all acts like the unfolding genocide is something they ought to enjoy.
Tear Jerker: The death scenes of major characters, and related events:
Commander Shultz's final moments before his ship is destroyed while pursuing the Yamato and getting too close to a star - he recalls his wife and daughter whom he will eventually leave behind upon his death, considering earlier, and in a previous episode, he was watching a hologram message from his daughter greeting him and telling him to come home after his tour of duty is done.
Yuki's apparent death, which leaves Kodai hearbroken for most of the final episode, though he does his best to keep it hidden, until his Anguished Declaration of Love. He and Yuki eventually get better after Mamoru's intervention.
Okita's death, not long after. He takes a final last look at the Earth from his sickbed in his cabin, tearfully looks at a picture of his family, then quietly passes on.
Unintentionally Unsympathetic: 2022 attempts to show that Dessler was a Well-Intentioned Extremist all along. The problem is, 2199 had made him far more evil. While in the original he series did have a Heel–Face Turn, it was due to a Heel Realization, and his evil done in the first place was to save Gamilan. The Dessler of 2199 ultimately betrayed Gamilan to save himself. Thus, many fans felt that Dessler being a good guy in 2022 felt unearned, especially since there was no redemption arc.
